Strollerderby : Google

Got a Sick Child? Go Online

JeanneSager — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:31:00 GMT

When I first read that more parents are going online after their kids get sick, I had thoughts of hundreds of graduates of Google University picking fights with the med. school grads trying to take care of their kids.

Good news: that's not what this story is about.

Not that parents can't find some good quality health information online. But there's enough fearmongering and misinformation online to make you never trust an MD again.

But a recent post over at the U.S. News and World Report parenting blog by Nancy Shute pointed to a phenomena that's been widely used, and yet widely overlooked: the online patient support group. Especially important for parents who don't want to leave their kids' hospital bedsides or have little time for nighttime support group meetings (and no money for a sitter when it's all going to the medical bills), online support groups offer not only a (virtual) shoulder to cry on but a go-to source for navigating the net full of all that fearmongering and misinformation.

They've read most of it and dissected it already. Plus, they've been where you are right now, and they can help you get to where they are. As Shute points out, they've also got a stake in finding the answers you want. Your doctors may be fantastic and incredibly intelligent, but they simply don't have the same kind of time to devote to your incessant quest for knowledge.

And online, we very often can find it - and in ways that we couldn't in our hometowns. Where there might be 100 kids with food allergies at your kid's elementary school, there are hundreds of thousands of parents dealing with them over at Kids With Food Allergies. Where only one in four thousand kids is born with cystic fibrosis across the entire U.S., hundreds of their moms and dads are blogging at CysticFibrosis.com.

Of course, you can't trust it all - read any blog (even Strollerderby), and there's a tendency for parents to post medical advice (here they leave it in comments), and for other parents to say, "oh, that's interesting, I didn't know that, I'll have to do that." Where people are quicker to discount the spoken word, a possible loon in an in-the-flesh support group, something about seeing the words written on a computer screen makes parents (people in general really) more trusting.

Would you prefer an in-the-flesh support group or are you all about online?

Image: OETSG

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 29th

Whit Honea — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Mike Tyson's 4-Year-Old Daughter Dies

Madonna Dishes on A-Rod and Kate Hudson

Confirmed - Gisele is Pregnant With Tom Brady's Baby!

Nicole Richie, Dad Lionel & Daughter Harlow (PHOTOS)

Sneak Peek! Jon & Kate Plus 8 Season Premiere

Kelly Rutherford, Lies and Videotape

Amy Mickelson's Breast Cancer Battle

Michelle Williams and Daughter Matilda Support Their Local Coffee House

Angelina Jolie: Madonna Adopts For Fame

Jon & Kate - Who Are The Kids Happier With? (Photos)

Slumdog Kids Finally Get A Home!

Brian Grazer's Prenup Still Makes Wife Rich

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Premiere Snags 9.8 Million Viewers

Brett Singer — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

So you know this Kate Gosselin we've been hearing so much about? Mother, reality show star, husband may or may not be cheating on her? Lots of backlash against her?

After all the sturm und drang that the Gosselins have generated in recent weeks, you might think that would hurt their ratings. But you would be wrong.

The season premiere of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was watched by 9.8 million people. That's not only the largest audience for a cable show on Monday. It was the largest audience for ANY show that evening.

People, negativity sells. Big time.

Yes, it was Memorial Day. But "Jon & Kate" isn't even on a network. It's on cable. Which means that not everyone -- most people, but not everyone -- can see the show. To me, this was an astonishing feat.

I have a confession to make. I don't watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8." I don't watch any reality shows regularly, which isn't a judgment on those of you that do. It's just not my thing. (If they could make a reality show with superheroes in it, that I might watch.) But all of the tabloid news has been oddly fascinating to me. I read the People Magazine article. Someone left a copy of US Weekly in my house and I read the "Jon & Kate" article. (Well, I started it. But I'll finish it.) And I have to admit that I might just check out a few minutes of the show.

Did you watch the "JK8" premiere? Did the recent scandals surrounding the couple make you more interested in the show?

Source: Hartford Courant

Morning News - California Supreme Court Upholds Prop 8

Kate Gosselin - Mom or Monster?

Gosselins are Good for a Gander (big roundup of stories on Famecrawler)

Mom Arrested for Having 555 Pound Son

Morning News - Mike Tyson's Daughter Injured

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 22nd

Whit Honea — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Gosselins are Good for a Gander

Katie Holmes Sets a Bad Example For Suri

Mormon Marie Osmond Supports Her Gay Daughter!

Stars Come Out For American Idol Finale: Brad Garrett and Kids Max and Hope

Barbara Walters To Interview John Edwards' Mistress Rielle Hunter!?

Bristol Palin and Son Tripp Cover People

Angelina Catches Brad and Jen Aniston Together!

Kate Gosselin Blogs Her Troubles Away

Matt Damon: Bourne to Be a Dad

Pregnant Lauren London & Lil Wayne Will Raise Baby Together!!!

Kelly Clarkson Looks Like She's Pregnant!

Caption This, Julia Roberts (or Don't)

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 15th

Whit Honea — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Tom Cruise Pressuring Katie For Another Baby?

Dirk Nowitzki's Fiance Arrested?

Comedian Wanda Sykes & Wife Alex Welcome Twins!

Jada Pinkett Smith a Lesbian?

Julie Bowen Welcomes Twin Boys

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

Manny Ramirez Busted!

Chyler Leigh Welcomes Daughter Anniston

Sean Penn Still Dating Natalie Portman, Robin is Pissed!

Kate Gosselin's Heartbreak: Jon & I May Separate

Look, Look, It's Another Octomom Story

Jon Gosselin Shelled Out Big Bucks To Buy Mistress Presents

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 8th

Whit Honea — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Julia Roberts Shows Her Bikini Bod & Tattoo In Honor Of Her Kids (PHOTOS)

Jon & Kate - Jon Is Cheating -It's Been Confirmed - Photos

Elizabeth Edwards Has "No Idea" If John's The Baby Daddy

Jon Gosselin Tells EW Exclusively "I Did NOT Cheat!"

I'm Following You, Nicole Richie

Pregnant Heidi Klum Naked on Ellen - Video

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

'Idol' Winner David Cook Announces his Brother's Passing at 5K Race (VIDEO)

Matthew Fox Prepares to get UnLost with Family

Jenny McCarthy To Get Her Own Talk Show?

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Are Not Selfish

Kate Gosselin To Address Rumors About Jon?

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 1st

Whit Honea — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Details Revealed About SJP Twins: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Is Her Surrogate!

Rosie O'Donnell's Marital Spat Gets Twittered By Neighbor

BREAKING: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick Expecting Twins!

Gavin Rossdale Had A Secret Romance?

Portraits of the Artists as Young Men - Before They Were Famous

Wolverine Goes to Disneyland

Sarah Jessica Parker - Baby Bump On Display

Patton Oswalt Welcomes a Baby Girl

Brangelina Started Because Jennifer Aniston Is A Secret Lesbian?

Jennifer Aniston Adopting A Boy!

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 24th

Whit Honea — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

David Beckham's Victoria Tattoo Is Misspelled

David Kellerman -CFO Of Freddie Mac Commits Suicide

Photos Don't Lie: Angelina & Brad Did THIS

In Which Tom Cruise and John Travolta Will Ruin Movies for Our Children and Our Children's Children

Geri Halliwell Reveals Her Dark Past

Guess the Baby Bump!

Celebrity Guess Who: Name the Mom Edition

CBS' Julie Chen Pregnant!

Octomom Nadya Suleman is Ready to Add to The Family, AAACK!

Madonna's Ex-Chef: She's A Self-Centered Mother

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 17th

Whit Honea — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Pete Wentz Posts Photos Of Baby Bronx's Nursery

I was Right - Heidi Klum is Pregnant

THIS Photo Is Why Joel Madden Loves Nicole Richie!

Controversy City Continues: Levi Johnston Dishes More About Palins

Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady and 'Their Son' On the Beach

There Is a God: Leaked Nude Pictures of Hugh Jackman! (PHOTOS)

Farrah Fawcett Near Death?

Suspect Arrested in Killing of 8-Year-Old Sandra Cantu

Hugh Laurie Says "My Children are Perfect"

Mel Gibson's Wife Files For Divorce (PHOTOS)

Tragedy Strikes Katie Holmes and Family

Jamie Foxx Trashes Miley Cyrus On His Radio Show

Best of FameCrawler - Week of April 10th

Whit Honea — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Uncle Jimmy Fallon Uses Twitter to Fight Slight

Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Was Jon Given A Sports Car For Another Season?

Tennis Pro Lindsay Davenport Hoping for a Tomboy

Gwyneth Paltrow: Shampoo Is Harming Our Kids

Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady and 'Their Son' On the Beach

Pete Wentz Plays With Strippers, Sends Ashlee Home With Bronx

Spike Jonze Has Potty Training On The Brain: Everyone Poops Video

Sarah Michelle Gellar is Pregnant

Update: Jon & Kate Gosselin Talk About Their Marriage Rumors!

Controversy City Continues: Levi Johnston Dishes More About Palins

Octomom - I'll Never Take Government Assistance, Oops I Lied!

Nicole and Joel's Spur of the Moment Wedding Ruined by Zac Efron's Family - Video!

Did Sarah Palin Know That Bristol Was Sleeping With Levi?

Brett Singer — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:07:00 GMT

In an interview with Tyra Banks that will air on Monday, Levi Johnston says that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "probably knew" that he was having sex with her daughter Bristol. Levi also tells Tyra that Mama Palin allowed the young lovers to sleep in the same bed at her home.

Well. As the Church Lady might say, isn't that special.

It's all well and good to scream and holler about how "the media" should "leave these kids alone," as Angie Harmon recently did on Fox News. But someone needs to tell these kids to stop doing so many interviews. I mean, Tyra? Really Levi? Why? If the reason is "because they asked," someone needs to point out to the young hockey player that "no thanks" is an acceptable reply.

Over at ParentDish, Susan Wagner writes that Bristol and Levi "clearly they haven't been getting very good guidance from the adults in their lives. It's our job as parents to help our teens mature into responsible people, and sometimes that means saying no -- to sex and to interviews." Funny how the advice from "the media" can be better than whatever these two seem to be getting from their own parents.

Source: US Magazine via AOL ParentDish

Image: FameCrawler

Madonna Adoption Denied, Appeal Filed

Family Awarded Millions For Circumcision Mistake

Woman Will Go Free If Son Comes Back To Life

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Judge to Mom: Spank Your Kid or Pay Up

Babble Talk: Do We Still Judge Women for Having C-Sections?

And Deliver Us by Google

JeanneSager — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:34:00 GMT

For all you people who scoff at the power of Google University, I present the story of Jordan and Natalie Peck and their newborn baby girl

The Pecks live in Hendrum, Minnesota, right in the center of the bad flooding that's been making the news lately. So when the heavily pregnant Natalie went into labor, Jordan knew there was no way he could drive her to the hospital - and there was no way their midwife was getting to them.

So he did what any American who wants to know something did - he powered up Google and read up online on how to deliver a baby.

And then he did. The Pecks welcomed a healthy little girl named Margaret into their lives - and into their home - which they soon left because of the rising water. They are now staying with friends, unsure when they can move back into their home. But Jordan joked that he knows what it's like to be the guy told to just follow the instructions.

"This was one of those cases where I was going to follow the instructions to the T," he said. If you're one of those people who doesn't mind brushing up on knowledge (no need for waders - you can still be ready for the floods!) check out eHow - they've got it all . . . down to the T.

Image: KSTP TV

Best of FameCrawler: Week of March 27th

Whit Honea — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Finale - To Divorce or Not?

Is Michael Jackson Going to Adopt While in England?

Kidnap Suspect Amalia Tabata Pereira is Wife of MLB Player Jose Tabata (PHOTOS)

Natasha Richardson's Mom Wore White To Her Funeral - Why?

Anna Nicole Smith Death Case to be Reopened?

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Has a Secret Son!

TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Is It Over!?

Octomom Nadya Suleman Fires Nurses, Says They Were Spying

The Hottest Moms - Photos

Jenny McCarthy Slaves Over Her Looks

Best of FameCrawler - Week of March 20th

Whit Honea — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Natasha Richardson - The Sad Story

Katie Holmes is Pregnant!

Remembering Natasha Richardson (Photos)

Watchmen's Patrick Wilson and Wife Expecting Second Child

Update: Natasha Richardson Declared Brain Dead and Taken Off Life Support

Natasha Richardson: One Last Faint Hope?

Octomom- Welcome To The Neighborhood, Now Get Out

Jade Goody's Obituary Already Published?

Natasha Richardson Funeral, Celebrities React To Her Death

Is Martin Lawrence Dead?

Natasha Richardson Dead

UPDATE: A-Roid Admits It

Brett Singer — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:00:00 GMT

UPDATE: A-Rod (A-Roid, A-Fraud - I still like The Rod, but it's not sticking yet) has admitted to ESPN's Peter Gammons that, you know, he did it. Children everywhere are... actually, I don't think children care about this at all.

When I was a young Yankee fan, my guy was Reggie Jackson. All I cared about was how he played. Granted, it was a different time, but despite all of the posturing from commentators I don't think kids care much about whether or not The Rod was juicing. Maybe I'm wrong.

Original post follows:

*-*-*

SI.com is reporting that Alex Rodriguez, whom I usually refer to as "The Rod", tested positive for two different anabolic steroids, Primobolan and testosterone, back in 2003. (Make up your own joke about Alex taking testosterone.)

What does this have to do with parenting? Well, somewhat like the Plaxico Burress gun incident ("Safety? What's a safety?"), kids who are into sports, and even those that aren't, will hear this news. What do you tell them? If you go with the "tut-tut" sanctimony of Major League Baseball and the seemingly endless parade of columnists and talk show hosts, then you have to tell them that The Rod is a big fat cheater. That's the word that has been assigned to steroid users. Cheaters. At least it’s a word that even little kids understand. You know, because it's childish.

If you want to go with a calmer explanation, you could say that The Rod made a mistake and we don't have all the facts yet. (Probably better to call him A-Rod, since I'm the only one that calls him The Rod.) Columnist Chris Ballard says that "All of A-Rod's achievements, past and future, will be tainted." First of all, what if the report was wrong? I'm not saying it was, but sometimes reporters, sources or no, make mistakes. Also, we're slamming the guy for doing something that may not even be against the law because he "tainted" the "purity" of baseball. That seems like a pretty bad message to send to kids, frankly.

Ultimately, baseball is a game. Professional baseball, like all professional sports, is a business. In recent years it has become a huge business, one that allows someone like The Rod to earn almost $30 million in one year. That's just his salary, by the way. He probably made a lot more in endorsements, autograph signings, and other things. Sports figures are no longer on the same playing field as the rest of us, if they ever were. (Pun unintended.) Kids should be allowed to enjoy the game without the braying sanctimony of adults who appear desperate to believe that baseball is more important than it is. Sports can bring great enjoyment to fans young and old. When you try to pretend that these people are something more than human, any fall from grace will be a huge disappointment.

For the record, I am a lifelong Yankee fan and I never liked The Rod. (Give me Scott Brosius any day of the week.) I also don't much care about steroids. I think Major League Baseball helped create this problem by preferring profits to players' health; there were multiple times when guys were obviously juiced up and no one said anything about it, sanctimonious commentators included. And I never thought I'd say this, but I'm a little bit glad that my son isn't a big baseball fan. Explaining Plaxico's gun was easier than this will be.

Image/Source: SI.com

Do Your Kids Watch The Super Bowl?

VIDEO: O'Reilly Upset About Two Year Old Bashing Bush

Pittsburgh Schools Open Late Day After Super Bowl

Is The Peanut Allergy Scare Overblown?

Octuplet Mom Wants TV Career

Google Will Help You Track Your Kids

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:30:00 GMT

Most New Yorkers of a certain age will remember this message from Channel 5 (now Fox): – "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?"

Well, Google wants to help make sure the answer to that question is always "yes."

Today the search giant will announce Google Latitude, a new service that allows users keep track of their friends' locations via cell phone.

Latitude is being billed as Google's entrance into "social-networking," and not as a kiddie GPS. But by combining software that "location-aware" with a mobile phone, this announcement has potential privacy implications far beyond a Facebook "Hatching Eggs" app. (In my neighborhood, we called it "stalking.")

The software is "opt-in", meaning that those who want to go off the grid can do so at will. But in theory this could let parents track where their children are going without resorting to high tech spy gear.

Of course, that assumes you can use your child's cell phone better than they can. Which is probably not the case.

What do you think? Would you use something like this to keep an eye on your child's whereabouts? Or are kids entitled to some privacy? And I wonder what Bill O'Reilly thinks about this...

Source: FT.com, ParentDish

Octuplet Mom Wants TV Career

Do Your Kids Watch The Super Bowl?

Fictional Fighting With Five-Year Olds

VIDEO: O'Reilly Upset About Two Year Old Bashing Bush

Why You Should Check Even Little Kids Homework

Hold onto Your Toddlers! Giant Snake Fossil Discovered in South America

Your Kids' Good Manners Could be a Crimebuster

Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie – They Educate

Can Your Kid Doodle the Google Doodle?

JeanneSager — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:31:00 GMT

They've got down Noggin's doodle of the day, so can they doodle the Google doodle? And can you say that three times fast?

Google (yes, THE Google) opened up its second annual kids art contest this week to find the American school kid who will draw the logo rendition seen on the site's homepage.

With more than one hundred million daily site views, that means your kid could become an artist whose talents are appreciated by, well, one hundred million folks in one day.

The Doodle 4 Google contest is open to kids in kindergarten through twelfth grade (ages five through eighteen), and it's as open as their imaginations. The basic theme is "What I Wish for the World," which seems just right for a kid's contest - after all, their wishes are tomorrow's future (cue the cheesy music).

Last year's winner was Grace Moon, a middle schooler from Castro Valley, Calif. "My doodle, "Up in the Clouds," expresses a world in the sky," she told the judges. "This new world is clean and fresh, and people are social and enlightened. Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are. The bright sun heats this ideal place with warmth, love, and brightens everyone's day"

She earned the day's prime spot on the Doodle site plus a scholarship. This year, the national winner walks away with $15,000 for college, a trip Google's New York offices, a laptop and a t-shirt with their doodle. The kid's school will earn a $25,000 technology grant to be used in the school computer lab.

Another three national finalists will get the Google New York trip and laptop, plus their doodle on a Google tee, while the thirty-six regional winners get the tee and the trip (sorry, no computer). The company has added a District Quality Participation Prize of $10,000 for a school district that encourages "high quality participation." Also geared toward improving the school's technology, the grant must be used on the computer lab.

So whether your kid's a pint-sized Picasso or your school district just really, really needs the help, check out last year's winners (by age group) for some inspiration, then tell your kids to get doodling (registration is required by March 17, and the doodles have to be in by March 31).

Image: Google

Pregnant Tenant Evicted For Criticizing Landlord Online?

Brett Singer — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:54:00 GMT

David Griffiths, whose wife Katy is pregnant, was told that the lease on his Queens apartment would not be renewed. As a result, the couple moved from a "luxury tower" to a "Brooklyn walkup," according to the New York Times.

No matter how luxurious the tower, I bet it has an elevator, which beats the heck out of a walkup. Especially when you are pregnant. Oh, and after you have the baby. Ever try getting a stroller, a kid AND groceries up five flights of stairs? It's really fun. And by "really fun" I mean "a recipe for back injury."

So why was the couple tossed out, with the landlord requesting that they… never… return? Because Mr. Griffiths said unkind things online about the landlord, Rockrose Development Corporation. (Allegedly. He was evicted for this reason allegedly.)

Griffiths claims that a Rockrose employee told him, "Dave, we understand that you’re not happy living here, so we made the decision for you." Rockrose denies this, although they do admit that they decline to renew about 10 tenants every year for being, well, annoying. Rockrose's senior vice president for marketing, Sofia Estevez, uses the words "hothead and a troublemaker." (Non-rent regulated apartment dwellers do not have to be offered lease renewals; it's only the person paying $300/month for an Upper West Side two bedroom that can't be thrown out – but I digress.) Estevez told that Times that there was no evidence that Griffiths had been a troublemaker, but – and here's the kicker – "that a Rockrose employee does monitor tenant complaints on the Web."

Monitoring customer complaints can be a good thing. For example, Comcast employee Frank Eliason is, as one blogger put it, "helping Comcast suck a little bit less" by responding to complaints via Twitter. But if Rockrose actually declined to renew a lease because of something someone wrote about them online, that's a really bad idea. An even worse idea is telling the tenant that.

There's another part of this, of course, which is that perhaps it's not such a good idea to be posting comments about your landlord online. It may be legal but why bother?

The issue with the wife being pregnant makes it more interesting, since that will probably help the couple get some sympathy votes that they might not otherwise receive. It's one thing for a landlord to tell some dopey 23-year-old to get lost. But a mom-to-be? Watch out. (Note: that is, obviously, not a legal opinion.)

Source: NY Times

Morning News - Obama, Limbaugh, Cheese

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Ann Coulter Says Single Moms Are Bad For Society

New Pro Vaccine Book Author Getting Death Threats

Kid Named Hitler Taken From His Parents By Family Services

Indiana Planned Parenthood Sells Gift Certificates

Brett Singer — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

From the Chicago Tribune:

"What do you get the person who has everything—except adequate health insurance? If you live in Indiana, consider this offering from the state's Planned Parenthood affiliate: gift certificates in $25 increments."

In news even less surprising than Clay Aiken coming out of the closet, anti-choice groups are not happy. The Tribune quotes Jim Sedlak, who is with both the American Life League and Stop Planned Parenthood (where DOES he find the time?) as saying that the gift cards are just PP's "annual [attack] on the Christian community at Christmastime...[Planned Parenthood] could easily have said, 'these certificates are not to be used for abortions.' But they intentionally chose not to do that." Because I'm sure that Planned Parenthood spends most of their time thinking about how they can ruin Christmas for Christians everywhere.

Now my initial reaction was a great big ol' "Huh?" Luckily my mother was present when I heard this news (on The Daily Show). She pointed out, as does president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana Betty Cockrum, that most of what PP does is "provide basic health care." In fact, Cockrum says that's 95 percent of what they do. Still, "a pap smear in a Pear Tree" doesn't sound very appealing.

All joking aside (you can see Jon Stewart's slightly reluctant mirth-making on this topic in the video below), I guess this isn't as weird as it sounds. It's not weirder than a doctor's office selling gift cards. Well, that would be weird too. The underlying message of providing health care is a good one. But who do you buy one of these cards for? The Duggar family? Jon and Kate? Kevin Federline? (I know, it's about health care, not just birth control. The jokes are almost too easy. If Jon Stewart can apologize, so can I!) I guess in theory you could pick one up for someone you know who doesn't have health care. But isn't that incredibly awkward? "Hi, I know you're uninsured, so I thought you could use one of these. Happy holidays!" I would love to know how many cards Planned Parenthood Indiana (who have the unfortunate acronym PPIN – say it out loud and then make a Beavis and Butthead chuckling noise) actually sells. So far, they say they've sold about twelve. This isn't Vegas, but I'm putting the over-under at 25. Anyone want to take that action?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Planned Parenthood Gift Cards

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Source: The Daily Show, Chicago Tribune

Image: PPIN

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Rocco Ritchie wears Yankee shirt, Guy Ritchie weeps

Brett Singer — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:00:00 GMT

This is just silly.

Us Magazine is reporting that Guy Ritchie, who is divorcing Madonna and had NO PRE-NUP, is freaking out because his son was wearing a Yankee shirt.

"He's actually been crying over it," says the source on the set of Ritchie's upcoming drama 'Sherlock Holmes'. "He's in a terrible state but is doing his best to be on form at work."

The insider tells Us Ritchie "cannot believe" Madonna would let their son wear the shirt, given the fact that her close relationship with the slugger played a role in their contentious divorce.

Look. If it were a Mets shirt, or a (shudder) RED SOX shirt, I could understand Guy getting all worked up. But the Yankees? The most storied franchise in sports history? Come on.

On a slightly more serious note, if this report from an "insider" is true (who are these people who call tabloids at the drop of a hat?), what a self-centered bozo. He's off directing a major film, the Material Mom is on tour screaming about Sarah Palin, and his son is being raised by who knows who. The shirt? That's what he's worrying about?

As for A-Rod – sorry, THE Rod – he apparently attended Yom Kippur services with Madonna and her children. (Aside: next time you are with Madge, ask her what meshugeh ahf toit means. It's important.) This is because the Yankees aren't playing in October. Just wanted to point that out. ALEX. FOCUS.

Source: US

Guy Ritchie Already Found Somebody Else

UPDATE: Jon Stewart says "F*** All Y'All"

The Obamas wear cheap clothes

Another non news photo

Santa Claus says: Smoke More

Sarah Palin on SNL for real

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Is a happy ending massage cheating?

Should DirecTV Go Around Reincarnating Dead Child Stars?

Magic Garden out on DVD

Missing Teen's Dad Blames Xbox Game Call of Duty

Bill Murray asks about the Cubs

Disney movie to feature black princess

Couple Asks Internet to Name their Baby

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Jason and Ann Morrison have far more faith in their fellow humans than I do. The couple is expecting a baby and have turned to an unlikely group of people to decide the name of their first child: complete strangers. Jason is a Google engineer who has set up an online poll with 17 name choices—plus, and here’s where it gets scary, a write-in option.

The Morrisons are aware of the margin of error inherent in this naming technique. As Jason writes on his blog, “This is a difficult decision that will have a huge impact on the life of an innocent human being. Naturally, we are turning to random Internet strangers for help.” So far, more than 4,500 random Internet strangers have opted to weigh in. (If you want to join the unknown, opinionated masses, vote here.)

Let’s hope these random strangers have a bit more discriminating tastes than the 150,000 people who voted to name a baby whale on the Greenpeace site last year. The winner, by an overwhelming margin, was Mister Splashy Pants.

Photo: The Sydney Morning Herald

Denise Richards Reality Show Canceled

Brett Singer — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

It's official – you won't have Denise Richards to kick around anymore.

The E! channel has canceled the unwatchable "It's Complicated," which followed Richards as she tried raising her kids and a lot of pets… or something like that. I watched the first episode and found it mostly dull, but also somewhat depressing, since she had her young children on camera all the freakin' time. Remember that it was her ex-husband Charlie Sheen who wanted to keep the kids off of the show, but Denise took him to court and won. It's an old joke now, but when Charlie Sheen is the good parent, something is very, very wrong.

The reason for the cancellation isn't very complicated at all: nobody was watching. Page Six quotes "a source" who said, "The numbers started out pretty good - just over 1.5 million tuned in for the premiere episode…But the audience has dropped off." In other words, people would have been interested, but she just wasn't that interesting.

It's worth remembering that Denise Richards had a career as an actress for awhile. Granted, it was largely based on her looks, but she was considered one of the hotter young starlets around (think Megan Fox). Things were already on the decline career-wise when she married Sheen, so it would be easy to say that she is a victim of Hollywood ageism. But I have a feeling that some of the behavior she displayed on her reality show – the Post cites one "her confrontation with an editor for a magazine over how she [was] portrayed in the tabloid press" as a "low-light" for the series – was also her behavior in real life. That's just a guess, of course. Oh well. At least her kids won't have their lives on display anymore. Maybe she can do "Dancing with the Stars."

Source: NYPost

Image: LATimes.com

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Upcoming Sesame Street Guests

Brett Singer — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

If you can't stand to watch one more episode of 'Sesame Street' that you've already seen 250 times, help is on the way!

PBS might be killing off Fred Rogers, but at least the new season of 'Street' started yesterday, with special guests Jack Black and Feist. The Feist video has already racked up 750,000 views on YouTube since being posted about a month ago. Here are some of the other celebrities who will do time with Elmo and the rest:

* Neil Patrick Harris (8.12): I'm guessing more 'Doogie Howser' than 'Harold and Kumar', but who knows.
UPDATE: Here's a video preview of Neil as - hang on - the Fairy Shoe Person. No. Really.

* Heidi Klum (8.14): According to New York Magazine, Klum's exchange with Elmo is "Sexually charged," with the E man telling Seal's wife, "Ms. Heidi is very pretty." As far as we know, Seal did not whup his little monster butt.

* Jenny McCarthy (8.15): I have a question, and don't take this the wrong way. But if Jenny hadn't become an ambassador for autism, would she be appearing on 'Sesame Street'? I'm not saying that this is part of some master plan, just wondering. I also wonder if this is the first time a former Playboy centerfold has visited the Street. (Vanessa Williams doesn't count since she didn't plan on being in Playboy. Jenny was Playmate of the Year.)

* Will Arnett (8.18): 'Arrested Development' fans rejoice! According to Mike, 'AD' even had a character named Franklin in honor of the dearly departed Roosevelt Franklin, making this an above average booking.

* Jason Taylor (8.20): After 'Dancing with the Stars', this guy is really going places.

* David Beckham (8.22): This guy, who is he again? Maybe this will be what he needs to really break through to the big time.

* LL Cool J (9.22): I hope this is old-school 'I can't live without my RADIO!' LL. I would also accept 'Elmo said knock you out!'

* Chandra Wilson (9.30): I had to look her up, but that's probably because I don't watch 'Grey's Anatomy'. Since much of the rest of the country does, I'm guessing she was a good choice.

Other future guests include new mama Jessica Alba (OH YEAH!), Molly Shannon (amusing), Patrick Warburton ('The Tick' is the greatest fake-superhero-live-action-sitcom in the history of the small screen), Feijoo Sisters (Cuban ballet dancers I'd never heard of), Jonah Hill (wearing a moustache – this seems like an odd choice but I guess he's a big deal now; I would've preferred Seth Rogen), Brian Williams (who's actually fairly amusing), Gilbert Gottfried (who's f**king hilarious but will likely not be his usually filthy self), Megan Mullally (should be fun), Randy Jackson (Gee, you think he'll say "dawg?" - yawn) and Sandra Oh (who I like, despite the fact that everyone seems to think she's ugly). New sketches too, such as "30 Rocks," "Pre-School Musical" and "Are You Smarter Than an Egg Layer."

Here's a little video to whet your appetite.

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Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Brett Singer — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

When I first saw the headline, "McConaughey plans placenta burial", I thought, "Ah. A new high/low in celebrity wackiness."

It turns out, though, that burying the placenta is a not uncommon practice in some cultures. In fact, you can even purchase a Placenta Burial Jar online. So making fun of it would be, at best, culturally insensitive.

Still, I have questions. Like, where do you keep the placenta until the burial? In a jar? In the fridge? What does it smell like? And "burial" seems like a morbid term to me, even though that is, literally, what you are doing. And do you visit the site of the burial? Matt says that he was inspired by a "placenta tree" he saw in Australia, so maybe he hopes a tree will pop up where little Levi's former food supply is put in the ground. So, like, road trip to see the placenta?

In some cultures, the placenta is, um, eaten. I guess Matt didn't want to go that far. No word on whether or not he'll keep his damn fool shirt on during the ceremony.

image/source: nzherald.co.nz

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No dinero for Dina

Brett Singer — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

What do you call a couple that spent $1 million on lawyers while getting divorced, and the result was that the wife got $100,000, plus $1,075 a month in child support?

You would call them the McGreeveys. (Well, not anymore, they're divorced.)

Yes, Mr. "I Am A Gay American" and the former first lady of the Garden State are finished with their contentious divorce proceeding. NYMag describes the courtroom drama as, "incredibly public, ugly, and drawn-out," which is kind of true, although it didn't quite have the legs of the Christie Brinkley / Peter "19 is legal, dammit!" Cook case.

What's fascinating to me is that Dina is getting almost nothing. She gets a one-time payment of $109,295 from Jimbo, which is half of their shared investments, so it kind of doesn't count in my book. $1,075 a month in child support is, if I may be so bold, bupkis.

So why no dinero for Dina? Jim don’t have no money. NYMag says, "since McGreevey argued that he only makes $48,000 per year while he is in seminary, the judge ruled him 'underemployed.'" So he's studying to be a priest. I guess his book didn't sell as well as people had hoped. Jim is living with a "super-wealthy financier" but those assets don't factor in. ("Jim's in love with a Jersey boy..." OK, don't go there.)

Judge Karen M. Cassidy said that both Jim and Dina, "clearly had agendas," and "their anger seemed to override any ability to testify credibly or to be reasonable." At least she went after both of them, unlike the judge in the YouTube cuckoo-wife case.

I have to wonder how angry you have to be at your spouse to spend $500,000 on attorney's fees - each - when you must have known that there was no pot of gold at the end of the divorce rainbow. Sure, Dina was married to a guy that was sleeping with, well, another guy, so she's mad. And Jim… well, he's mad at her for something, I guess. According to the New York Post, the couple will do some swapping of 401k plans and other relatively minor assets, like a $1500 checking account. She was only asking for $2500/month. So how do you rack up half a mil worth of legal bills? Fuzzy math, at best. They have a daughter together; hopefully they'll be able to deal with each other somewhat civilly.

image/source: NYMag